Pa Her, Contributor

To celebrate Coming Out Week, QPA, QIPOC and ASAC arranged for the first student-led Drag Show on Oct. 11th. 

Dancing, singing, laughter, and engagement with performers and the audience were all shared in one space. It was a time where QPA got to share what it’s like to celebrate their community. It was a space where gender expression was celebrated. The show was a place for performers to exhibit their art and talents. It was also a space where students can be who they are. 

Lary Lopez-Servin (He/Him/His), the Manager of Events for QPA, especially enjoyed the event. He got involved with the show because it was a place where he could display and express himself. He wanted people to not only see his own passion and happiness, but to also experience it with him. And in that same way, the Drag Show provided an opportunity for Augsburg students to step into the LGBTQ community. It was a place where students can come and learn not only about the community but also about themselves too.

 “A lot of time people have their own description of what a drag show is but this is a place for learning, where it’s okay to be at a different learning spot, ask questions and ask for help. A lot of people have come to the show and saw themselves differently,” Lopez-Servin said. The show itself provided time at the end where the stage was open to the audience members to freely express themselves and their stories.

Moreover QPA (Queer Pride Alliance), one of the show’s organizers, is a community where individuals are accepted to be who they truly are. They don’t have to feel confined to one identity; they could have multiple identities. In the words of Lopez-Servin, “we want everyone to be accepted and have the sense of: I have a place here. I can come here and do not have to pretend to be someone else.” QPA is a place where anyone is valid whether they are out or not; they are valid and QPA is there for those individuals.

As someone who has been one of the two first Latinx board members this year and a board member for two years, Lopez-Servin found his place with QPA. “I feel belonged here. I was not part of it my freshman year but when I had the opportunity my second year, I just wanted to do something for the community.” As a part of the QPA community, he wants to let other students know that they can come to QPA and work with them, and more importantly, live and be their truest self.

This article was originally published in the November 1, 2019 issue.